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Red snapperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker66
- Spot64
- Red drum63
- Crevalle jack59
- Southern flounder59
- Atlantic tarpon58
- King mackerel58
- Gray snapper55
- Spotted seatrout54
- Summer flounder54
- Florida pompano52
- Spanish mackerel50
- Black drum49
- Black sea bass49
- Gray triggerfish49
- Little tunny49
- Weakfish49
- Gag grouper48
- Red snapper48
- Red grouper47
- Sheepshead44
- Cobia42
- Greater amberjack42
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 5 AM · Red snapper
- Now
- 481 PM EDT
- Best window
- 5 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Harper Creek scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 1 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
61Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
81Wind: 13 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
73Water temp: 83°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.2 ftSeason & habitat · Red snapper
Species seasonality
43Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Red snapper is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with NCDMF before you keep a fish.
Source: NCDMF · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Red snapper is best here
Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Harper Creek
- Depth
- 1-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonRed snapper
NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 13 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below NAVD 88, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.
About this spot
Fishing Harper Creek
Harper Creek is a cape in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, red drum and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black drum and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Red drum peak from August through November.
Tackle & technique
- Red snapper
- Red snapper school over rigs, wrecks, artificial reefs and natural ledges, mostly in 60 to 250 feet. Anchor or drift over the structure, chum, and drop cut or live cigar minnows, sardines or squid on circle hooks, using as little weight as the current allows. Federal rules require circle hooks with natural bait in the Gulf and a descending device or venting tool on board.
- Atlantic croaker
- Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
- Spot
- Spot school over mud and sand in bays, tidal creeks and channels and around piers and bridges, generally in less than 25 feet of water. Fish a two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and bits of bloodworm or shrimp, and move until you find a school. In fall the biggest fish run out of the sounds past piers and inlets, and the bite can go all day.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Plum Creek66
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Crevalle jack 64
- Spot 64
13 kt ENEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Win Creek66
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Crevalle jack 64
- Spot 64
13 kt ENEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Garden Point61
Cape · 0.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 61
- Crevalle jack 59
- Spot 59
13 kt ENEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Sanders Point61
Cape · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 61
- Crevalle jack 59
- Spot 59
13 kt ENEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
Scores and forecasts are for planning only and can be wrong. Conditions on the water change fast; check the marine forecast before you go. Regulations change during the season, so confirm limits and closures with NCDMF before you keep a fish.